Relativity
by World-In-Motion
Summary: Two Draco Malfoys existing in the one time ... Surely Mondays at work aren't that evil? Three years post war: Hermione is forced to reconcile her past and present with her future. EWE, DM/HG.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note:** Hi, welcome to my story! This is my first ever Dramione, so please enjoy :) This story is rated M for language and 'adult' themes (is this where I go *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*? hehe).

Please note that this story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros. Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

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_I was a short fuse_

_burning all the time_

_you were a complete stranger_

_now you are mine_

'_Regret' - New Order_

_XXX_

Hermione strode with determination through the Ministry, ducking and weaving through the usual Monday morning crowd. Just making it to an almost-full elevator, she gave an apologetic smile to the occupants as she squeezed in.

The lift jolted away too quickly, and Hermione, still trying to redistribute her handbag, paperwork and books immediately fell backwards into the arms of whoever was standing behind her. She turned around to apologise, but the apology died on her lips when she saw who it was.

"Malfoy." Hermione cringed when she realised that his name sounded more like an accusation, rather than a greeting. "Er, thanks," she awkwardly added.

"It seems as though that hair is throwing you off balance, Granger," Malfoy replied coolly.

_Really? After __**everything **__that has happened, that's what comes out of your mouth? _Hermione took a deep, calming breath as her cheeks tinged with red. She knew from the dead silence surrounding her, that the other estimated ten occupants were listening carefully to see what she would respond with.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Still the charming boy you were in school, I see?" Hermione replied with mock seriousness, before turning away from him again.

An awkward cough which sounded like a muffled laugh came from somewhere in the back of the lift, and a small smirk lifted Hermione's lips.

"Well, I was always taught to treat ladies with the respect they _deserve_," he replied, the sneer apparent in his voice.

Hermione felt as though she had been immediately thrown back to Hogwarts, when Malfoy would find any reason to bully her. Her jaw clenched and she felt the urge to reach for her wand and hex him. She couldn't believe that he still obviously deemed himself as such a superior being— especially after his stint in Azkaban.

Still, she swallowed her anger and turned back around to face him, smiling sweetly. "Why, Malfoy, I'm impressed you can still remember your manners after that stint in Azkaban."

Several other lift occupants tried, but failed to hold their snickers, while another couple coughed awkwardly. She watched with satisfaction as his jaw immediately tightened and his normally pale face flushed red with fury. He looked to be opening his mouth to respond when the lift came to a jarring halt.

"Level nine, Department of Mysteries," the cool voice announced to the lift.

Hermione sent him a winning look before quickly turning to leave; this was her stop, after all. Quickly stepping off the lift, and not looking back, she began walking down the corridor. Quickly checking her watch, she noted that she would be just in time for the Monday morning meeting.

Suddenly noticing the sound of someone following her, Hermione turned around, ready to greet one of her co-workers. Instead, much to her horror, she came face-to-face with Draco Malfoy, _again_.

"Malfoy, what in Merlin's name do you think you are doing here?" Hermione asked as she stopped. If her hands weren't so full, they'd be on her hips by now. "You do realise that you're only allowed to enter this department if you are an _employee_? You may also realise that anyone caught on this floor without the correct access levels will be turned over to the Wizengamot for questioning?"

Malfoy sneered at her and crossed his arms. "Why, thank you for your recital of the policy and procedure manual, Granger. But I've already read it, just like I've read—and signed off on—the current Unspeakable Code of Conduct, too."

Hermione blinked, a sudden sense of horror dawning on her. "But only—"

"Yes, yes, I know, only Unspeakables have access," he cut across her, before a haughty smirk crossed his face. "You're looking at your brand new colleague, Granger."

Hermione's eyes widened impossibly. "_What_?" she practically hissed.

"Yes, that's right. As of today, I'm an Unspeakable—_just like you_," he replied with a mocking smirk on his face.

"B-but—"

"Really, Granger, do you mind? the staff meeting is about to start in a couple of minutes and I would like to be punctual on my first day," he said in a bored manner as he quickly checked his rather expensive-looking pocket watch, which he had pulled from a pocket in his perfectly cut robes.

Hermione stood there for a couple of seconds taking it all in. She couldn't believe it! _Malfoy_; _an Unspeakable_! Why don't they just open the door for anyone? She let out an angry huff before spinning on her heels and storming off towards the meeting room.

"Why, how kind of you to show me the way," Malfoy said, as he caught up; his long legs easily keeping up with her angry steps.

Hermione didn't reply. She was too busy contemplating all the worst possible outcomes of having to work with such a git. Her frown grew deeper as she recalled more memories from Hogwarts. Working with Malfoy would be a nightmare!

Finally, they reached the door to the meeting room, and both trying to enter first, awkwardly stumbled through the door causing all eyes to fall on them. Hermione felt her cheeks flush and quickly stepped as far away from Malfoy as possible.

"Ah, Hermione, I see you've already met our newest recruit," Adrian Pucey, the deputy-director announced. "Though I understand that you two already know one-another."

Hermione gave Adrian an awkward smile and quickly sat down at the table, between Ernie Macmillan and Lisa Turpin, avoiding eye contact with the rest of her colleagues.

"Team, I want you to meet our newest recruit, Draco Malfoy," Adrian announced pleasantly.

Hermione watched as Malfoy took the spare seat on the other side of Lisa, while the rest of the Unspeakables either looked at him with curiosity or loathing.

"Now that we're on a roll, let's get this meeting going," Adrian stated.

Hermione sat back in her chair and began taking notes. She had a feeling her peaceful work environment was about to come to an end.

XXX

"Hermione, can you come and see me in my office before lunch please?" Adrian asked as they passed one-another in the corridor later that morning.

"Sure, I'll be down in five?"

"Great, just come straight in," Adrian replied.

Hermione quickly continued back to the Time Room. She had been working in that particular division since she had been accepted into the Graduate program three years earlier. They were currently working on rebuilding the Time Turners which had been destroyed in her fifth year, as well as conducting other magical research specifically relating to time travel.

As she placed a charm on her ears to stop her from having to listen to the incessant ticking of all the clocks in the room, and went straight through to her office located in the back of the room, she went over the events of her morning. She couldn't believe that Draco Malfoy was a Unspeakable. It was ludicrous. Thank Merlin he had been placed with Ernie Macmillan and not her. Hermione could not imagine explaining her work to someone like Malfoy.

Closing and magically sealing her most important files and ensuring everything was in order, she quickly grabbed her handbag and headed out the door, ensuring all the wards were in place. Since the events of Hermione's fifth year, the Ministry had upgraded security, embarrassed that a bunch of teenagers were able to break into the Department of Mysteries so easily.

As she walked towards Adrian's office, she wondered what he wanted to speak to her about. She had an awful feeling it was 'Malfoy-related', considering their shared history, but she held hope that it was related to something completely different.

She was aware that Adrian, obviously being an ex-Slytherin, knew Malfoy, though she wasn't sure if they were friends or not. Adrian was different to the other Slytherins. Mainly, because he was nice to her and a fair boss, but also, he never got involved with the Death Eater garbage, like so many other Slytherins. Hermione also thought he was exceedingly handsome—though she kept that to herself—and his fair attitude only added to it. He was engaged to Daphne Greengrass, another ex-Slytherin, who also never got involved in the pureblood-mania so common with that generation.

She entered his office and Adrian looked up from his paperwork and smiled, gesturing for her to take a seat.

"Hermione, I wanted to talk to you about Draco," Adrian started.

_You sure are great at cutting to the chase for a Slytherin_. "Er, okay?"

"I know you two have a history, and, as your manager, I felt it was important to speak to you about why the department made the decision to recruit him."

"Oh, okay then." Hermione felt more than a little bit awkward at being singled out.

"Part of Draco's early release deal from Azkaban is that he works at the Ministry. None of the other departments wanted him. I see the potential in Draco. He has a good mind, even if it has been a bit misdirected over the years."

"Misdirected?" Hermione asked, slightly incredulous. "That's the most interesting description I've heard of Malfoy's behaviour yet."

"Hermione," Adrian soothed, "I know it seems difficult to believe, but Draco does not share the same … views he did in school. I'm not asking you to become friends, but I want you to know that you won't have to put up with any insults regarding your heritage."

_Oh no, just insults on everything else then? _Hermione took a deep breath. "Fine."

"And I promise that I won't put you two on any projects together in the near future."

"I didn't want to be unprofessional and mention that. But I doubt Malfoy and I would work well together anyway." Hermione explained, relief evident in her voice at Adrian's promise.

"Hermione, I would never call you unprofessional," Adrian replied. "But thank you for agreeing to speak with me."

"Not a problem. Was there anything else?"

"Nope, you're free to go to lunch," he replied.

Hermione quickly left his office, a certain sense of relief making her feel lighter than she had felt all morning.

XXX

"_Malfoy _is an Unspeakable now?" Ron asked, spitting the name like it was diseased.

Hermione nodded; her mouth too full of her sandwich to speak. She was currently sitting with Harry and Ron at a table in the Ministry cafeteria. The food was average, but they were always guaranteed a seat.

"Robards mentioned that they were looking for somewhere to put him," Harry commented.

"But as an _Unspeakable_," Ron muttered, incredulous.

"You don't have to work with him, do you Hermione?" Harry asked, and she appreciated the slight concern etched on his face.

"No, I don't. Though Adrian reassured me that he is, apparently, not prejudiced anymore. He is still utterly awful, though. I was so close to hexing him this morning."

"Don't worry, you'll be okay," Harry said reassuringly.

"Plus I doubt the little Ferret will want to go back to Azkaban any time soon," Ron said between eating his hot chips.

"Yeah," she sighed. "So how's your Monday then?"

"Not as interesting as yours," Harry replied wryly. "Though Ron and I have to chase up some reported dark magic activity in Scotland this week, so I don't know if we'll be back for the weekend."

Hermione nodded in understanding. "But Ginny will still be off from training?"

"Yeah," Harry replied. "What are you girls up to this weekend anyway?"

"Well, this weekend we're organising the last bits for Angelina's hen party. Oh, Ron, is Luna still able to make it this weekend to help us?" Hermione asked.

Ron shrugged, seeming to be more interested in dipping a chip into as much gravy as possible. "As far as I'm aware. She won't be going away for another few weeks yet," he explained of his long-term girlfriend.

Hermione nodded. "I might Owl her later," she said absentmindedly.

Harry looked down at his watch. "Shit, we have to get back, Ron. Meeting with Robards in five."

Both boys quickly stood to leave, but Hermione remained, deciding to finish off her sandwich instead. After they had said their goodbyes, Hermione sat quite happily by herself and people watched.

"Ah, Granger, I see you're surrounded by your usual batch of admirers … by that, I mean _no-one_," said a familiar haughty voice.

Hermione groaned and turned around to find the subject of her morning drama standing right behind her.

"Malfoy, this is my free time, do you mind?"

"Not at all," he said with mock-cheer, and sat down where Harry had previously been sitting.

"Sod _off,_" Hermione bit out.

"So, still best friends with the dim-witted duo? Or have you and Weasel tied the knot already?"

"If this is your way of getting information—you always were weirdly obsessed—it's not going to happen."

"Oh piss off, Granger, I was the person least interested. But I digress on my earlier comment regarding the Weasel. So, I do really want to know one thing … How does it feel know that the Weasel even prefers Loony Lovegood over you," he smirked nastily.

Hermione took a controlled breath. "If you know what's good for you, you wouldn't dare be nasty about my friends."

WIth that, she stood up quickly, grabbed her handbag and stormed off towards the lifts. She swore under her breath when she realised that Malfoy was following her.

"Poor Granger, all alone, while her friends pair off," he almost sing-songed. "Maybe Longbottom is still free for you," he chuckled. "Now that would be a sight!"

Hermione stopped and spun around to face him. "At least I _have _friends, Malfoy! Who do you have, hmm? Who cares about a washed-up _Death Eater_?"

Hermione didn't miss the look of pure fury that quickly flitted across his face before his expression became stony. She stood her ground and glared at him.

"Well, Granger, I can see you're already halfway to becoming the bitter, old, spinster troll you were destined to be," he spat at her before turning and walking towards the lifts.

Hermione remained standing there, in the middle of the Atrium, trying to catch her breath. When she had finally calmed down, she stayed still for a little longer, not wanting to risk getting into the same lift as the blond git.

Finally, when she knew he'd be gone, she quickly went over to the lifts and headed back to the office. _Merlin_, how could she possibly stand working in the same department as him? If it was going to be like this all the time, Hermione wasn't sure how she wouldn't _not _be able to hex the slimy bastard.

The thing that bothered her the most was Malfoy's attitude. Sure, she hadn't heard a single blood-related slur, but he had pretty much been able to insult everything else—and it was only halfway through the day!

Hermione was angry, because once again, she had to make allowances, while he waltzed around being King Prick. She thought that Azkaban might have given him a bit more of a sense of humility. Obviously she was completely wrong, and people like Malfoy (no matter how 'reformed' people claimed they were) were just awful and would never change.

She stepped out of the lift and headed straight back to the Time Room, hoping that her afternoon would be a bit easier to handle. She was making progress on fixing the Time Turners and was hoping to make a couple of inroads on some research she had been conducting on the sand used in the devices.

Letting down the protective wards so she could enter the room, she stepped through the door and didn't even cast a second glance as she reset them, adding an extra ward to ensure no one would disturb her for the rest of the afternoon.

She walked through the Time Room and opened the door to her office. What she saw when she entered her small office caused a scream of incredulity to leave her lips.

"Malfoy!" she furiously yelled, pulling her wand on him. "How the _hell _did you get in here?"

Malfoy jumped around in obvious surprise, dropping whatever device he had been holding on the ground, where it made a distinct crack.

"Granger, what the fuck are you doing here?" were the first words that came out of his mouth, as he spun around. When he finally looked at her, Hermione blinked at the surprise in his features, but his shock was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

"_Me_? What am _I _doing here? This just happens to be my workplace! Do you have any idea of the rules you have broken by entering this room?" she screeched at him.

He remained silent, just staring at her. Something seemed off to Hermione; like he wasn't right. He took a step towards her, causing her to take a step back, pointing her wand at his face.

"Her-_Granger_, just calm down, okay? I need you to get Adrian, right now."

"Why should I do that? What is going on?"

Malfoy ran a frustrated hand through his hair, causing it to fall into his eyes. Hermione thought that it looked longer—

"Why is your hair different?" she suddenly asked, a horrible—yet completely unrealistic—realisation forming in her mind.

Malfoy looked at her. "Granger, just get Adrian."

"No. Tell me first," Hermione replied, trying to control the waver in her voice.

Malfoy sighed and then bent down and picked up the object on the floor. Looking back at her, he said, "Granger, this is an advanced Time Turner. And as you can see, it's broken now. I'm stuck here."

"You're saying—"

"I'm _saying _that I'm three years in the past, stuck. Get. Adrian. _Now_."

Hermione stared at him in horror. Clutching the door handle for support, she tried processing all of the possible implications and current rules and legislation they were breaking merely by speaking and seeing one-another. Finally, the last thought that crossed her mind before she left the room was that Monday had really proven to be the worst day of the week.

XXX

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**Authors Note: **Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I've personally always been fascinated by the idea of Time Travel!

Let me know what you think in the little box below (reviews are gold!) :) I hope to update soon.

xo W.I.M


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Note: **Wow, this is a quick update! I must be on a roll ;) Thank you muchly to those who reviewed, alerted and favourited this story!

See Disclaimer in ch1. I don't own it :)

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XXX

Draco had just finished explaining to Adrian and Hermione what exactly had happened. Apparently, he had been working in the Time Room, performing some routine maintenance on the "long distance" Time Turners, and had accidentally gone back three years, instead of three days. He never meant for Hermione to catch him, and after dropping the Time Turner, would now need to complete repairs before he could make it back.

"_Fuck_. What are we going to do?" Adrian muttered.

"Why, Adrian, that would be send me back home," Malfoy replied sarcastically.

"Obviously," Hermione muttered and rolled her eyes.

"How long do you think it would take to fix this Time Turner?" Adrian then asked, ignoring Hermione's sarcasm.

That was when Malfoy turned to face her. "Well, you're the one who built it, so how long Granger?"

Hermione gaped at him. "I built that? B-but, I haven't even fixed the other more short term Time Turners yet. How am I supposed to fix something in such a short space of time when I have no idea how I even built it?"

The two other men simply stared at her. Was it just Hermione, or did the room suddenly feel as though it just got smaller?

Malfoy suddenly looked thoughtful. "Perhaps … perhaps this was meant to happen. Perhaps you were meant to fix it to then understand how to build it—if that makes any sense. I must admit, though, that I never _knew_I'd end up here."

"Well, why would you? You do realise that you just happened to return on your first day starting here?" Hermione asked. "I doubt Adrian—nor I, for that matter—would run off to tell the 'other' Malfoy that his future self was currently sitting in my office."

"She's right. This will not be getting out at all," Adrian interjected quickly. "Hermione, what do you think of Draco's theory?"

Hermione ran a hand through her hair, not caring that it made it even messier. She looked back up at the two men and was momentarily caught by the look Malfoy was giving her; though he quickly looked away and pretended to look at his hands. She sighed and pushed the odd moment aside for analysis later. "I think—if we are working with the theory that time works in a constant loop— then yes, it's a very high possibility. It's also probably the most logical way of looking at it—"

"Why, Granger, are you giving me a compliment?" Malfoy interrupted with a cocky smirk suddenly appearing on his face.

Hermione huffed and rolled her eyes. "Shut _up_, Malfoy! I've had just about enough of you today!"

Malfoy suddenly grinned. "Ah yes, my first day, how could I forget it?" he mused as he leaned back into his chair looking as though he was recalling it quite vividly.

"I'm surprised you can remember all of your moments of awfulness," she snapped, offended at his blasé attitude when it came to how mean he had been towards her.

"_Children_," Adrian snapped. "Your bickering is not helping the situation!"

Hermione looked abashed. She hated getting in trouble, even though Malfoy completely deserved it. "You're right, Adrian."

"Yes, Adrian, you are correct. Which is why you will eventually make a brilliant Head of Department," Malfoy smirked.

"Really?" Adrian asked and all traces of the disciplinarian leaving him.

"Malfoy! You aren't supposed to reveal such information!" Hermione yelled.

"Sorry, slip of the tongue. I just wondered if my positive encouragement helped Adrian when Croaker finally retires," Malfoy said. "He's a shoe-in being the Deputy anyway. You know it, I know it, and Adrian knows it."

Hermione could tell he was anything but sorry, and scowled at the two men who were now smirking at one-another.

"You're right, Hermione," Adrian finally said. "Draco, don't tell me anything else, please. I don't want to know."

Malfoy simply nodded, not looking guilty at all at his "slip of the tongue".

"We need to get started on this," Hermione said, changing the subject. "Malfoy, I need to start looking at the device, now."

"Alright, I'll leave you two to look at it. I need to go and debrief Croaker. I'll be back as soon as possible."

"Sure," Hermione replied.

With that, he was gone. Hermione turned to Malfoy, who was simply watching her. "Right, we need to get started."

He handed her the Time Turner and she carefully examined it. It didn't look too different from the ones she was currently working on. It was still the same, golden hour glass, held in a circular-like pendant. She noted the crack in the hourglass and grimaced, as she knew sand had fallen from it. The worst part was that the sand wasn't just any type of sand; it was meticulously brewed in a special potion before it could be put into a Time Turner. Not to mention, it needed to be steralised. That was going to be a mammoth task in itself. She then examined the device and noted the different runes etched into it.

"So, you think it can be fixed?" Malfoy finally asked.

"Mmm, yes … Firstly, though, is this the only one in existence?"

"Yes."

"Well, then, I figure that I must have been able to fix it—if your theory on the time loop is correct. Otherwise how would you have been able to use it to come back in the first place? But, at the same time, it's a matter of _when_I was able to send you back."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know how long it will take to fix."

A frustrated sigh left Malfoy, but—surprisingly—he didn't say anything. Hermione looked up from the Time Turner and raised an eyebrow. "How long have you been working in the Time Room for?" she asked. Hermione had to admit that she was more than tempted to ask why she hadn't been working in the Time Room—usually they only had one employee in there at a time—but decided it was best to not ask at all. She assumed she had just been moved to a different area. It wasn't unusual for Unspeakables to be rotated to different areas to ensure that their skills were as well-rounded as possible.

Malfoy smirked. "I'm not sure I can reveal that information, Granger."

Hermione huffed. "So, you can tell Adrian that he gets a promotion—"

"I still maintain that was meant to happen," he replied smugly.

"Oh, what a load of bollocks—"

"Language, Granger."

Hermione huffed. "You were only telling him as some kind of Slytherin thing … looking out for each other … etcetera, etcetera." She waved one of her hands in the air.

"Believe what you want. Anyway, I've been working in the Time Room long enough," he replied.

"Long enough …" she repeated. "You do realise you are going to have to help me with this, don't you?"

"Obviously, Granger. What do you take me for? A bloody idiot?" he replied, rolling his eyes.

"Well, _obviously_, we are going to have to work together. So, you'll have to be a bit more mature," she sniffed.

Malfoy eyed her with a strange expression that Hermione could not really decipher; frustration? Anger? Maybe he was annoyed at the prospect of working with her?

"I'm sorry if you have a problem with that—" she continued, but was quickly cut-off.

"For fuck's sake, _grow up_, Granger. I don't care that I have to work with you," he sneered. "Whatever it takes to get home," he muttered, though it seemed he was saying the latter more to himself.

Hermione looked down, silent for a few moments, before looking back up at him. "Right. Well … that's good, then," she asserted, though she immediately scowled as he rolled his eyes at her response. "I suppose there's no time like the present to get started?"

Malfoy swallowed thickly. "Right … I need access to the books on Time Turner hourglass sand."

Hermione nodded, feeling nervous for some reason. "Okay, I'll go get them."

_Just when my Monday couldn't get any worse_, she thought, as she left the room.

XXX

At around three p.m. that afternoon, both Hermione and Malfoy looked up from their books in surprise at Adrian waltzing back into the office.

"I've met with Croaker," he announced, looking somewhat ruffled.

"So, what did Croaker say?" Malfoy asked.

Adrian ran a hand through his hair. "Well, firstly, you can tell he's ready to retire. He wants me to practically look after the entire situation. Can you believe it? Something as serious as this … _Anyway_, basically, there is no history of this ever happening. We've had people disappear in the Time Room, as you both probably already know, but nothing like this. So Hermione's device is obviously the—_legitimate_—first of its kind."

Hermione blushed slightly. "Er, Malfoy is helping me … so I can't take credit."

"Yeah, but _obviously_you won't be going and telling 'current' me about that. It would completely change the timeline, considering that I was only aware that you built it. It was meant to be this way," Draco explained.

Hermione was put slightly off-centre by the fact that, for the most part, that Malfoy had been relatively civil with her. She figured that maybe this Malfoy had done a bit of growing up in his three years at the Ministry. Either that or he was so desperate to get home that he was putting aside their differences. Whatever it was, Hermione wasn't going to deny that she found it unnerving.

"So, Hermione, how long do you think it will take to fix it?" Adrian asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Hermione bit down on her bottom lip. "To be honest, there's a fair bit of work to do. We have to repair the glass, not to mention replace the sand. Judging by the Runes carved around it, we may even have to adjust the potion for the sand …"

"I see," Adrian replied. "Worse than I expected. We have nowhere for Draco to stay."

He was right. Hermione had been too busy worrying about the Time Turner, rather than thinking about the other repercussions of this incident.

"Doesn't the Ministry have rooms?" Draco asked.

"Those are managed by the Auror Department. I'm not getting them involved," Adrian said adamantly.

"There's also the problem of getting to and from the Ministry," Hermione said.

Adrian nodded. "It's possible that I could get a Floo set up in here at special request … that way you could just Floo straight in and straight out at the end of the day."

"I don't want to bloody leave this place until that thing is fixed," Draco scowled.

Hermione groaned. "That's completely unrealistic, Malfoy. Even for the Time Turners that only go back a few hours, the sand takes at least a month to be prepared."

"A _month_?" both Adrian and Malfoy exclaimed simultaneously.

"Yes. The potion is quite complicated, and sourcing the sand isn't as simple as a trip to the beach," she replied in annoyance, noting that Adrian furrowed his eyebrows in thought and Draco rolled his eyes at her.

"We're going to need a Floo installed then. Draco can't sleep here—"

"And all extra Floos installed in the Ministry need to be approved by the Wizengamot," Hermione interrupted, reminding them of the new law that was introduced after the War.

"We'll just install it so it goes straight to your flat, Hermione," Adrian said.

"B-but—"

"You _are _connected, aren't you?" Adrian asked.

"Well, yes, but that means Malfoy will need too …" she trailed off awkwardly looking between the two of them.

Adrian looked unsurprised at her realisation, as if that was what he was getting at all along, while Malfoy had a blank look on his face until the full realisation hit him.

"Absolutely not!" Malfoy announced.

"Well, I don't want to live with you either," Hermione shot back. "Adrian, I absolutely refuse! Put him in a hotel, or _something_. I cannot live with him! In fact, why don't you take him?"

"You know I can't do that, Hermione. Daphne practically lives with me now. She wouldn't be able to keep quiet about this. Not to mention that Croaker would never allow it … Think about it, Hermione. You live alone, in muggle London, are connected to the Floo … no one would _ever _expect it."

"Way to make a girl feel special," Hermione muttered angrily. She kept waiting for Malfoy to make his usual nasty comments and looked up in surprise when there was only silence. She turned to Malfoy, only to find him looking down at his hands, a worried expression on his face. It was completely unexpected. She expected anger, disgust, or even his usual blank face, but not _worry_.

"You know what I mean," Adrian said, looking at her apologetically. "Look, when you put all your differences aside, you have to admit that it's a good idea. You both can Floo directly to and from work. Draco isn't near a wizarding community, and if he needs to get out, he can access muggle London under a glamour or something."

"This is ludicrous …" Malfoy muttered and then sighed in defeat.

Logically, Hermione could understand Adrian's points too. But Malfoy? How in Godric's name could Hermione live with him? Not to mention work with him? She supposed that she could go out and spend more time with her friends, which brought a whole new issue.

"What about my friends?" she asked.

"Can't they give you notice, or do they just 'pop' over?" Adrian asked.

"Well … they've been known to just pop in, before," Hermione replied.

"Well, Potty and Weaselbee aren't really known for their manners," Draco drawled.

Hermione felt a rush of anger at the insult directed at her friends. "See! See why this would be impossible?" She gestured at Malfoy.

"Will the two of you listen to yourselves?" Adrian asked. "You both need to _grow_up. This is our easiest and only real option. With 'present' Draco working in this department, we can't risk this … 'future' version of him leaving the room. Stop acting like children and see it for what it is. I'm not asking you to spend any time together outside of work. Just get this sorted and get Draco back to the future."

Both had the decency to look somewhat abashed at the scolding. He was their boss, after all.

"Now, Hermione, the Ministry will reimburse you. And remember that holiday application Croaker refused to approve? I'll get it approved. Remember that application you made to access the Veil as part of your Time Travel related studies that was rejected? I'll get it approved."

Hermione sighed. She knew that she must have eventually caved in, where else were they going to put him? She knew that, logically, Adrian was right. But that didn't make the idea any better. The bargaining chip that he would approve her holidays, _and _allow her access to the Veil; something she had wanted for over a year now, was too good an offer to refuse. She could do this, couldn't she? In her off-time, she could just go hang out with one of her friends. She didn't honestly spend that much time in her flat, anyway.

She thought of the Veil, over and over again. "I guess so," she replied through gritted teeth. "But you better give me at least three months with the Veil when this is over, Adrian!"

"Yes, yes. Now, I need to fast-track a Floo installation in this office."

"Er, won't the Maintenance person see Malfoy?"

"I'll just Obliviate him," Adrian replied nonchalantly.

Hermione spluttered in indignation. "What? You can't do that!"

"Actually, I can. It's written in the policy," he replied.

"That's abuse of power!"

"Not really. It's protecting our work," he said.

Hermione glared at the two of them. She couldn't believe this! "Why can't we just pretend he is the normal Malfoy, or just glamour him?"

"Trust me, this is easier. We've had … problems with the Maintenance area before."

Hermione sighed. She couldn't remember the last time she had such a tiring and stressful day. She wanted nothing more than to go home, soak in the bath and forget this Monday for the rest of her life.

"Fine," she muttered, the exhaustion of the day coming through in her voice.

XXX

She awoke to a clattering noise. It wasn't loud, but she supposed that she was on edge at the thought of Malfoy being in her flat. Rolling over in her bed, she noted that it was just past one in the morning. Groaning, she let her head fall back on the pillow as she sleepily rubbed her eyes.

She had arrived back at her flat by Floo; and no, she would never admit how wonderfully convenient that was, at about nine at night. Malfoy had claimed he wanted to stay back to do some more reading, so she had left, leaving him the details so he could get here correctly. She was a bit miffed because he didn't seem interested in listening to her, though he must have heard correctly if that was him currently making so much noise.

She was content in leaving him to his devices, as she did not want to get out of her warm bed, but then she started worrying. What if he walked into the wrong bedroom? What if he started snooping through her things? What if he didn't know how to use her muggle kitchen devices? The list went on and Hermione was now wide-awake, worrying her bottom-lip.

Finally having enough of her over-active mind, she decided to get up and at least point him to the right room. She got up and pulled her dressing gown on, concealing her wand in the waistband of her pyjamas … okay, maybe she was being a bit over the top, but still! She crept out and proceeded to sneak down the hall. Noting the light was on in the kitchen; she quietly looked in and got the shock of her life.

Malfoy was in there making tea ... the muggle way? Hermione was in shock. Firstly, Malfoy could do that sort of thing without a House Elf? Secondly, he wasn't even using a wand. She must have made a noise, because he quickly turned around and muttered an unintelligible greeting to her.

"Er, I just, I just wanted to let you know that the guest room is down the hall, second door on the right," she said and grimaced slightly at her voice, which was still a bit scratchy from sleep.

He didn't reply at first, though she watched as his shoulders tightened, before they relaxed again, and it was then that she noticed he had all her kitchen utensils out and was also in the process of making himself a sandwich. It was absolutely surreal. Malfoy, her school nemesis and ex-Death Eater, was in her kitchen making _himself _something to eat.

"I'm going straight back to the office," he finally replied. "I just got hungry."

"Oh," Hermione said. "Are you sure that's such a good idea? If you don't get sleep—"

"Granger, I don't need a fucking lecture on my sleeping habits, okay? The sooner I wrap my head around all of this, the sooner I can get home."

"Okay," Hermione replied, immediately annoyed at how small her voice sounded. "So … do you need me to show you how to use anything?"

She watched, a little worried, as his shoulders tensed again and he brought his hands to the counter top, lightly gripping the edge.

"Worried I can't use your Muggle devices, Granger?" he finally asked.

"Well, it's just that …"

"Just what?" he asked when she didn't elaborate further, his voice somewhat harsh.

"I'm just surprised, that's all," she finally said. "Can you blame me?"

Malfoy didn't say anything for the longest time, before he shook his head and went back to making his meal. "Whatever," he replied.

"I wasn't trying to be rude," Hermione huffed.

"Alright. I get it. And no, I don't need your bloody help. Now, if you don't mind—"

"_You _don't need to be rude either," she stated in that bossy tone she was so well-known for. "And since you just know _everything_, I'll be off to bed," she said haughtily, before spinning around and stomping back down to her bedroom, closing the door loudly to make a point.

She was still awake when the dull roar of the Floo activated half an hour later.

XXX

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**Author Note: **Thank you very much for reading. Reviews are very much appreciated! I'd be interested to hear any theories anyone might have thought of so far ;)

Until next time,

xo W.I.M


	3. Chapter 3

**Author Note: **Welcome to chapter 3! Thanks to those who reviewed, alerted and favourited. You're all wonderful and I appreciate the feedback. Also, the guesses etc are interesting to read ;) But I won't give any of it away...

I don't own it! :)

* * *

So Malfoy and Hermione fell into a pattern. She would work her usual—_long_—day shift, and Malfoy would leave almost as soon as she got back to her flat and spend the night in the office reading up on the information. She knew he was avoiding her; she was pretty sure that he was having a sleep during the day and then working all night.

Quite frankly, it was bothering her. They were getting to the stage that they needed to start working together. The potion couldn't be brewed alone—due to its complexity—and Hermione also needed someone to sound her opinions and ideas off of … even if it was Malfoy.

It was well past seven p.m. on Friday and Hermione wearily packed up her work. She knew that she was best to catch Malfoy at her flat. He would usually sneak off and disappear through the Floo when she went to have her shower. She let him get away with it, because she was awkward with the situation as well. Well, this time, she would catch him and talk to him.

When she stepped into her flat, it was silent. She quickly peeked down the hall and noticed a small sliver of light coming from her guest room. Malfoy must be up and … reading? Sitting in silence? Hermione shrugged and sat her paperwork and handbag on the kitchen counter. Normally, at this time, she would go off to have a shower, and Malfoy would sneak out the Floo. It was almost like it had been an unspoken agreement between them. Well, it seemed to Hermione that it was more like an allowance on her behalf … to make him comfortable.

So, instead of heading straight to her room, she went to the kitchen and began making dinner. At least five minutes after she began, she heard the light click of a door opening and footsteps coming down the hallway. She turned and looked just as Draco walked past her into the lounge room.

"Malfoy," Hermione called out and watched as he stopped and slowly turned to face her.

His response was his usual blank expression and Hermione swallowed, feeling a bit nervous. "Off to the office?" she finally asked.

Malfoy merely nodded and grunted what sounded like an agreement. Hermione nodded and walked out into the lounge room, hands crossed in front of her. "I've been thinking …" she began to say, but paused.

"And?" he asked, one of his eyebrows raised almost curiously.

"Er, I'm going to need your help … you know, with the potion and everything. I take it that you've finished all of your reading?"

"Yeah, almost," he replied, his voice a bit husky from obvious lack of use. "Tomorrow, then?"

Hermione went to nod, but then remembered that tomorrow was Saturday, and she had planned to go over to Ginny and Harry's to help plan Angelina's hen party. "Oh, er, I can't tomorrow."

Malfoy ran a hand through his hair, the longish strands falling across his eyes and sighed in what sounded like annoyance. "Look, you're the one who wants—"

"I know," she quickly cut in. "I'm sorry … it's just I'm helping with a wedding—"

"Save it, Granger," Draco interrupted and rolled his eyes. "You don't need to give me the whole, sodding story."

Hermione took a deep breath and felt her fingernails dig into the palms of her hands. "I was just explaining," she replied, trying—but failing—to sound neutral.

"What about Sunday, then?" he asked.

"Okay," she replied before stepping back into the kitchen. Sure that he would stay now, she decided to ask him if he wanted some dinner. "Malfoy, are you—"

_Whoosh!_

She stopped at the dull roar coming right from the fireplace. "Right, don't worry," she muttered sarcastically and went back to cooking her dinner-for-one.

XXX

"So, I say we go to _Patronus_," Katie Bell announced as she sat down with Ginny, Hermione and Luna in Ginny's living room. The girls all grinned and nodded at the idea.

"I heard that place is really hard to get into," Ginny commented.

"Oliver said he could get us tickets for entry. His career has more benefits than just a toned body, let me tell you," Katie snickered about her boyfriend.

"I heard they have dancers and everything!" Alicia said excitedly as she re-entered the room with chips and dip.

"Who knows, maybe there will be some single wizards there for Hermione and Alicia," Ginny said, giving Hermione a cheeky grin.

Hermione huffed. "Ginny, I am not looking for a boyfriend. You know that," Hermione admonished with a scowl on her face.

"Oh, come on Hermione! When was the last time you dated?" Ginny asked.

"Ernie MacMillan," Luna chimed in.

"I am trying to forget that ever happened," Hermione replied through gritted teeth.

"Where did he take you on your first date again, Hermione?" Ginny asked knowingly, a smirk on her face.

"Shut up, _Ginevra_!" Hermione muttered darkly.

"It was a date with his parents, if I recall," Luna replied, seemingly oblivious to the teasing tone of Ginny.

All of the girls erupted into giggles and Hermione scowled. "Ernie was perfectly polite. He's a nice guy," Hermione replied, trying to stop herself from laughing.

"Yes, so lovely … I can't imagine anything I'd rather do on a first date," Ginny giggled.

"Oh shut up, Ginny! Anyway, this isn't about my single life, it's about giving Angelina a fantastic hen night."

All of the girls agreed. Although, now that the topic had been broached, Hermione couldn't help but think about her relationship status—or lack of—when she looked at all of her friends. Ginny and Harry had been happily married for six months, while George and Angelina were set to marry in a month. Luna had been dating Ron for a year, while Katie was with Oliver Wood. This left Hermione and Alicia Spinnet as the only single girls in Hermione's group of girlfriends.

Hermione had dated, but her last serious boyfriend had been Dean Thomas for six months just over a year ago. Even then, her heart hadn't been in it, as it was too close after she had ended things with Ron. Hermione and Ron had dated for almost a year after the war and after too many fights to count, they had decided that they were better fighting as friends rather than boyfriend and girlfriend. Thankfully, their friendship could be saved. It was strange to say, and Hermione doubted that many women could say this about their exes, but she was glad that Ron and Luna were together. Luna was a good person and was a most suitable, calming influence around her friend.

She looked up, realising that she had been lost in her own thoughts, but fortunately the other girls were still talking about this hot, new, magic club _Patronus_.

"So they've managed to charm it right in the middle of London," Katie was explaining. "_Away _from Diagon Alley," she added, with some relief.

"Oh, Hermione, let's get ready at your place!" Alicia announced suddenly. "You live right in the middle of London!"

A knot of worry formed in Hermione's stomach. "But we can Apparate from anywhere," Hermione replied, a bit weakly.

"But it's only a short walk away from your place," Katie said. "That way, we can stop in at a couple of Muggle clubs, too—wouldn't that be a laugh?"

"Yeah, that's a brilliant idea! I've never been to a Muggle club!" Ginny said, sounding more excited by the second.

"Me neither," Luna added.

"Then it's set," Alicia said. "Hermione's place, yeah?" Alicia at least had the decency to look at Hermione, as if to double-check.

_Malfoy, Malfoy, Malfoy_, her mind kept repeating over and over again. But what could she do? If she vehemently refused, it would seem too odd. Surely Malfoy could put on a glamour and leave the flat? He'd probably be at the Ministry anyway. As she looked at her girlfriends, she knew there wasn't a good enough excuse to say no.

She bit down on her lip before smiling at them. "Sure, why not?"

"Brilliant," Alicia exclaimed. "You know what we had at my Muggle cousin's hen party? Willy straws! We should get those for a laugh!"

Hermione watched the other girls as they collapsed into giggles, worrying about having to ask a favour of Draco Malfoy.

XXX

"No, Malfoy, we have to grind the Dragon Horn, so it is a fine powder!"

It was Wednesday, and Hermione and Malfoy were currently working on the complex potion that would be added to the sand used in the Time Turner. She was growing more and more frustrated with the blond ex-Slytherin, who seemed to feel the need to argue every, single point with her. Needless to say, it had been a long four days, since they had started working together.

"You never grind Dragon Horn that finely. It will release into the potion too quickly," Malfoy replied, his tone becoming increasingly snappy as the day wore on.

Hermione let out an annoyed sigh and ran a hand through her hair. "Yes, for the short-term Time Turners. But I was reading an article by Bershaw; you know, the magical theorist, who was discussing the properties of grinding the Dragon Horn into finer particles—"

"Does this _lesson _have a point, Granger?" Malfoy drawled, sounding bored.

Hermione flushed and huffed. "The point is, that grinding it to it's finest will change the way it absorbs into the potion and therefore change the reaction times. Bershaw states that there is a theory that the absorption rates in a potion will affect the reaction rates exponentially. Therefore I did these calculations," she slid a piece of parchment to him, "which—if my calculations are correct—will alter the potion to get it to travel 'long-distance', so to speak."

Malfoy looked down at the parchment, his expression blank. "This is just a theory. How do you know it will work? We are fucking around with _my _future here."

"If it doesn't work then we will try again—"

"_Try again_? I need to get back home! This is not some academic experiment of yours, Granger!"

"I _don't_just experiment, Malfoy! If you knew me at all—"

"This is bullshit! We will _not_be tampering with the potion."

"Well then how will we get the particles to go that far, hmm? We can't _use _the regular potion for this. It has to be _altered_. I have already examined the sand and it's necessary. It's logical then, that it would be the potion and the Dragon Horn."

"Why didn't you just say that to start with, Granger? Instead of being so fucking patronising …"

"Well, I was getting to it! And I was not patronising—"

"So I had to listen to one of your boring lectures first, right?"

"Well, if you were actually working with me, instead of avoiding me, I wouldn't bother having to give you _'boring lectures'_," she replied, mocking him.

Malfoy sat back in his chair and looked at her. She could tell he was pissed off; his jaw was tight and his posture tense, not to mention his eyes had darkened considerably. She had noticed over the last few days that his eyes were actually quite expressive. She had always imagined them to be cold, never taking the time to look closer when they were in school. But they were anything but cold. It was one way she was able to discern his emotions—not that she took it into consideration when she wanted to give him a piece of her mind. She was surprised she had never really noticed it at Hogwarts.

He finally looked away from her and stood from the stool he had been perched on. "Whatever, Granger. Since we have to wait an hour to add it, I'm getting something to eat." He put on one of the robes that Hermione had bought in a hurry for him on the day that he had made his 'arrival' and left the room.

"Wait!" Hermione called out. "Where are you going?"

"Not that it's any of your business, Granger. But there is a decent Muggle take-away not far from your flat."

"You'll put a glamour on?" Hermione questioned and then cringed slightly at the realisation of how obvious she was being.

"Of course I will," he said and sneered at her. "I know you are used to keeping the moronic company of Saint Potter and Weasel, but I do not need to be lectured by _you_." And before Hermione could respond, he was out the door and the all too familiar noise of the Floo being activated travelled through the office.

Hermione's shoulders slumped. She _still _hadn't managed to tell him that he'd have to make himself scarce for Saturday night … and now he was even more snarky than usual (and that was saying something). She had to tell him tonight, she thought, and nodded resolutely to herself. Really, how much more worse could it get?

XXX

Later that evening, Hermione finally trudged back to her flat. At lunch she had run into Katie, who worked in the Department of Magical Games and Sports, and was asked if she wouldn't mind picking up the necessities for Angelina's hen night, considering she lived near the Muggle shops which sold the items Katie wanted.

Hermione had eagerly agreed, happy to help, and had set off straight after work to the address Katie had got from her cousin. Of course, the joke was on her when she arrived at the address only to find it was a sex shop. Yes, apparently sex shops were the best places to buy funny hen party goods. Still, Hermione straightened her shoulders and entered, feeling somewhat curious at what she would find inside.

So now she was almost home, with the 'goods', and, she had to admit, feeling much more enlightened about certain things regarding the sex industry. She entered her flat, not bothering to turn the lights on, intent on heading to her room and hiding the bag for Saturday night.

She wasn't even paying attention when, suddenly, as she walked down the hall she collided with a tall—_warm_—figure. Without even thinking, her wand was immediately out and pointed at the dark figure, who muttered something in annoyance with a familiar drawl, causing Hermione to immediately realise who it was.

"Malfoy?" she questioned.

"_Lumos_," he muttered and immediately the hall was lit.

Hermione looked up and proceeded to burst out laughing. Malfoy had obviously glamoured himself to go out in public. He looked quite funny with brown hair, a big beard and glasses. It almost looked like a cliched 'disguise' from a muggle movie.

"I wouldn't be the one laughing, Granger," he said, the famous Malfoy-sneer appearing. "Considering you are surrounded by …" he paused and looked closer. "Are those what I think they are?" he asked, a hint of amusement suddenly banishing his previous annoyance.

Hermione looked down and groaned, her cheeks heating up in embarrassment. In her fall, she had managed to drop everything and all the items that were previously securely in the shopping bag had scattered all across the floor.

"Why, Granger, I would have actually _paid_to see you purchasing these ... items," Malfoy said with a laugh as he looked pointedly at the penis straws.

Hermione blushed and quickly began picking everything up, shoving it all haphazardly back into the bag. "Oh, do grow up, Malfoy!" she snapped as he laughed harder. "It's for the hen party, for your information!"

"Don't be embarrassed, Granger. Every woman has … needs," he replied.

"I am not," she huffed as she awkwardly got back up from off the ground, clutching the bag closely to her chest. "There is nothing to be embarrassed about," she added. Though, the pink tinge on her cheeks suggested otherwise.

"Okay … I was simply pointing out—"

"Whatever, Malfoy," Hermione replied, pretending to be nonchalant, and pushing past him to get to her room.

"Are _you_going to be trying any of those items out?" he asked before snickering.

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Hermione snapped before slamming her bedroom door shut. Of _all _the people in the world to have been around for that … it had to be _him_.

She groaned as she suddenly remembered something and quickly threw the bag on her bed. Running out of her room, she hoped he hadn't left yet. She felt relieved when she noted that he was still there, though it looked like she had just caught him.

"Malfoy!" she called, just as he was opening the door.

He spun around and simply arched an eyebrow in that infuriating way of his.

"I need to talk to you about something," she said, stopping in the middle of the lounge room.

"What about?" he asked.

"I need you to be out of the flat on Saturday night," she announced. When he didn't react, she continued babbling. "The girls wanted to start the hen night here … I'm the closest to town and they want to go to some Muggle places. I couldn't really say no, it would seem too odd. I would have tried to get out of it, if I knew there was a way."

He was silent for a few moments. "So where am I supposed to sleep, then?" he asked, sounding annoyed.

"You don't have to find elsewhere … they're only coming here for pre-drinks. So you'd only have to disappear for a couple of hours."

"You could have stopped them from coming—" he started.

"No, I couldn't have. I do have a life, you know, and I'm doing the Ministry a favour by letting you stay here."

"Favour? _Favour?_If it wasn't for you surprising me, I wouldn't have dropped the Time Turner!"

"You cannot be serious—"

"Oh, I'm dead serious! Do you think I like staying here—"

"Of course … _Poor _Draco Malfoy! Having to stay with the likes of me."

"What are you insinuating?" he asked, eyes narrowing. "And that wasn't what I meant!"

"Of course it wasn't," she replied sarcastically. "How much could you have changed—"

"Shut the fuck up! Do _not_comment on things you have no idea about!" he sneered, and Hermione shivered at the angry expression on his face. "You don't know me … You don't know anything about me!"

Hermione stood there, stock still, heart thundering, and stared at him. She couldn't believe how furious he looked—it was almost like he was offended. Why would he be offended? How much could someone like that change?

"Whatever, I don't have time for this. And don't worry, I'll be out of your ridiculous hair on Saturday," he muttered angrily and reopened the front door and left, slamming the door behind him.

Hermione ran a shaking hand through her hair in frustration. _Could_someone like Draco Malfoy actually change?

XXX

* * *

**Author Note: **Thank you so much for reading! Reviews are always appreciated :)

Cheers

W.I.M


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